Thin Places - those places or events in life where the dividing line between the holy and the ordinary is very thin... to the point that the ordinary becomes holy and the holy becomes ordinary

Monday, June 09, 2008

GAS again

Well... I've got Guitar Acquisition Syndrome again.

I love the sound of a nylon string guitar. I've always wanted to learn to play bossa nova and some of the African acoustic styles that work well with nylon strings... but I don't bond with traditional classical guitars. I've owned three or four through the years. I get one, play it for a while and it just doesn't work for me... I don't like the neck shape or nut width. And the guitars I've owned didn't have as much sustain as I prefer (perhaps a more expensive classical would have but these didn't). There is something about the sound though... some styles really require it and there is just something there...

These days, there are a number of companies that build a hybrid style guitar with nylon strings, bracing similar to a classical guitar, and a neck similar to a steel string guitar's neck. I think that should make the difference for me. So, I'm selling a few pieces of gear and beginning the search. Godin and Guild build guitars of this style that are in my price range.

In the meantime, here's a video of Sara Tavares playing a nylon string guitar. She does a wonderful mix of Brazilian, African, and Portuguese music. If you search my blog, there is another video of her doing a tune called Balance that I love.

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About Me

- follower of Jesus (most of the time if I'm honest)
- I'm pastor of the Cambridge Drive Community Church in Goleta, CA
- guitarist - I play a Lowden O25C Custom acoustic, a fretless Bee Bass GrooveBee bass, & a partscaster electric that I put together. I also have a baritone ukulele that is fun to play.
You can listen to some of the music I did with Alexis d by clicking below.
And you can watch my sermons at Cambridge Drive Church here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2N6eGxfyTaKjNV8r2_lQLQ